Dimdim's Integration with Zimbra Could Be a Prelude to a Purchase

In a union of open-source messaging and collaboration startups, Dimdim and Zimbra are set to announce an integration that would pair Zimbra's e-mail software with Dimdim's Web conferencing application. The deal comes as the market for unified communications and collaboration enterprise applications is red hot.

Zimbra, the open-source messaging and collaboration suite Yahoopurchased in September 2007, plans to announce an
integration deal with open-source Web conferencing startup Dimdim,
according to a source with knowledge of the companies' plans.

The move, set to be announced in the next week or two, is preceded by Dimdim's
revelation Oct. 21 that Zimbra co-founder and CEO
Satish Dharmaraj has made a personal investment in Dimdim and has joined the
startup's advisory board. Can you guess where this is going? I smell a purchase
in the near future.

Details are scant, but it seems Dimdim and Zimbra will pair Dimdim's Web
conferencing application with Zimbra's e-mail application.

Zimbra, which offers e-mail, instant messaging, calendaring, VOIP (voice over
IP) and other tools, wants to become a full-bodied UCC (unified communications
and collaboration) platform. But to better compete with IBM,
Microsoft and Cisco Systems in the multibillion-dollar UCC market, Zimbra needs
a Web conferencing application.

Dimdim, which like Zimbra, is delivered via the Web browser, looks ever the
part and provides another tool to let users communicate without having to meet
in person. This is a boon at a time when the economy is forcing companies
to shrink travel budgets.

"I believe that Dimdim real-time collaboration capabilities complement
Zimbra's asynchronous capabilities to deliver on the vision of unified
collaboration," Dharmaraj said in a press statement Oct. 21 about the
funding.

Dimdim lets as many as 20 corporate workers share their desktop; show documents
and slides; collaborate; and handle instant messaging, VOIP and video
broadcasts through a Web browser.

Dimdim, available in both on-premises and hosted flavors, also offers Pro
and Enterprise versions that
support 100 and 1,000-plus users for $99 and $1,998, respectively.

The integration will be an appetizer to ensure that Dimdim suits Zimbra's
palate. I'd expect an acquisition to follow in the next several months if all
goes well.

Zimbra parent Yahoo, which saw a 64 percent profit plunge from the year-ago
quarter and vowed to lay off 10 percent of its work force, struggles to stay
afloat in the recession.
Zimbra would seem to be one of those juicy assets that would make its parent
company attractive to prospective buyers.